Thursday, January 1, 2015

Amrit Vela - Time of Nectar

Amrit Vela is commonly known as early morning meditation. How early, you may ask... to be precise, at 4am! What is so appealing to yogis about this unearthly hour? Well, Amrit means nectar while Vela means time or moment. As one sits in meditation and in contemplation of God, one is able to taste the nectar, the sweetness, of this divine relationship and take sustenance to empower the self. It is a very special, silent and personal time with the Almighty that is much more difficult to recreate once the world begins its busy, noisy day. It is the only time to take real power from God.

Sikhs believe that the day is divided into 8 parts or 8 'pehrs' of three hours each, and the time between 3am and 6am is the highest energy. Buddhists also have an early morning meditation ritual. In Islam the first prayer of the day, 'Fajr', is also before sunrise. Hindus too believe in the 'Brahma Muhurta', time of God, which occurs exactly for the first 48 minutes, of the one hour and thirty-six minutes before sunrise everyday. This is a time, they say, that is conducive to learning and mastering the scriptures, music and any other art form. There is also a widely held belief that the early morning hours are the time when the gods or angels are encircling the world. They are ready and waiting to bestow blessings... but only to those who are awake! Which gives rise to the saying: if you snooze, you lose!

The benefits of Amrit Vela are endless, and the practice is not as difficult as some may think. Yet some peoples immediate response when asked to try out this daily practice is one of shock and panic, especially those who go to bed at this hour! In response, I would say, try it and give it a chance. Dont look to see what you losing, but look to see what you are gaining! Losing an hour or two of sleep is really nothing, compared to the power, confidence and spiritual stamina you will gain from awakening early and absorbing this early morning spiritual energy. The feeling for me is one of intricately fine tuning myself to Gods vibration, which in turns enables me to fine tune to the world, so that I can begin to know exactly what to think, say and do.

I personally have been waking up at 4am everyday since 1983 and I thoroughly love it. I have never got bored with it. Its a discipline I took up early on, and it has been a part of my life ever since then it is just not negotiable. If due to sickness or travel I miss this early morning appointment, then there is definitely the feeling of having missed something important, like missing an important dose of powerful medicine! Of course in the beginning it is easier when you are practicing with others, but after a while when you get the hang of it, and are enjoying it, then sitting alone is also bliss.

Of course it does help to go to bed early, and to go to sleep with the right type of thoughts: peaceful and positive, in remembrance of the true nature of the self and God. Going to bed at 2 or 3am is not ideal. In truth, one really needs to ask oneself the question; what is the real benefit of the late night entertainment, when perhaps it could be replaced with the early morning one! Late nights mostly drain you and give you hangovers, the morning one will recharge and revitalise you. Amrit Vela, is the only true time to fill up high quality fuel in the soul, for the rest of the day you will not pass such a petrol pump no matter how powerful your meditation is.

So what do you do once you have managed to wake up and get out of bed? Wash your face, and have coffee or tea if you feel you need it to stay awake. Then set a dim light and sit to meditate in your favorite place. Open a window for fresh air and fill your lungs with the morning ozone. Light a candle if you wish, but remember that that is simply a pale reflection of the light that is inside of you, the sparkling light sitting in the center of your forehead.

Amrit Vela is normally a time to bathe in the blissful experience of God, and our higher self. A time to quieten the mind and to keep the thoughts calm and still. Sit and absorb his love, energy and pure vibrations. It is not really a time to think of mundane matters such as work, or to try to resolve the inner and outer conflicts that may be ongoing; reserve those issues for your later meditations. In fact, as one fills oneself with power at this most auspicious time, one is able to gain the inner strength to overcome many of the obstacles that arise in ones life.

Its Time... to wake up in the early morning hours and to fill up from the Supreme Source of love and light. Enjoy the sweet taste of Amrit Vela and awaken not only the body, but also the soul!